Development of the Pre-service Physical Education Teachers' Teacher Identity Scale

Abstract

The development of a teacher identity (TI) profoundly impacts teacher education program graduates' career intention and teaching practices. Existing studies on pre-service physical education teachers' teacher identity (PPET-TI) have used qualitative methods to focus on the dynamic and reflective features of TI. Quantitative studies that help reveal the universal and stable aspects of TI across contexts are scarce, which may be due to a lack of measuring instruments of PPET-TI. This study aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the PPET-TI Scale. Scale items and structure were developed based on the theoretical framework of dynamic systems model of role identity, interviews with 19 pre-service physical education teachers (PPETs), and content validity evaluations by 10 experts. The initial PPET-TI Scale was then validated among 523 PPETs. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a measurement model including three domains: self-definitions, teaching goals, and professional responsibilities. This model showed an acceptable model fit to the data. Convergent validity, criterion validity, and discriminant validity of the scale scores were also within the acceptable range. The scores of the PPET-TI Scale also showed an acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.91 for the entire scale). Teacher educators may use the PPET-TI Scale to understand PPETs' current TI and identify areas for intervention. The PPET-TI Scale enables future quasi-experimental studies to identify influencing factors of TI development and examine the effectiveness of TI interventions.